State agency holds back a simple record, flouting public access law

Sigmund Schutz discusses how state agencies withholding records is "becoming the norm," flying in the face of Maine's freedom of access laws.

An Excerpt:

"The small case over a simple record — a request to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development for a log of public records requests made of the department in 2017 — highlights how state agencies can hold up the release of records to certain requesters if they feel like it.

There’s little oversight, limited recourse for requesters and language in the law that gives agencies substantial leeway to respond slowly even to a simple records request."